Leveling up the world 4.., p.28
Leveling Up The World 4: A LitRPG Adventure, page 28
Dallion nodded.
“On the one hand, it’s good that you’re showing empathy toward guardians. It’s also good that you’ve done all in your power to keep your promises. However, you seem to want everything to go your way. So I’m prepared to offer you a one-time compromise.”
You can do that? Dallion thought instinctively.
“Yes, I can do that,” the Green Moon said with a sigh. “And I’m fully aware of the irony—letting you have your way after a trial that taught you that there will be times that you won’t get it. However, this is the one and only time. After this, if you want any more favors, you’ll have to ask boons, and for that you’ll need to fulfill the promise you’ve already made. And no, you won’t get a ‘tab.’ So until you find what I asked, I don’t want to hear you begging about this or that, no matter how important.”
“Even if it involves your life?”
This was a sore subject. The last thing immortal deities wanted to be reminded of was their potential mortality. There was every chance that the question would anger Felygn, but it was something worth asking.
“No matter how important,” the Moon repeated with a frown. “That is why I’m going to give you a choice.”
The echo boy looked at Dallion, then at the Moon. No fear could be felt coming from him, rather a deep curiosity directed at his creator.
“I have the power to help you keep your promise,” the Moon went on. “You’ll have your third familiar and would stop annoying me and yourself about the loss.”
That sounded too good to be true. Dallion felt joy fill his entire body, but even so, in the back of his mind, he knew that a “but” was coming. Nothing was free in this world or any other, especially when dealing with Moons.
“For that to happen, you’ll have to give up something. A trade of equal value, if you prefer. Or who knows, maybe a trade of greater value?” There was no smile on the Moon’s face. The topic was deadly serious.
Thoughts went through Dallion’s mind. What could one ask? A life for a life? It couldn’t be any of the other familiars, since the Moon had already said that he would have three. Would it be the destruction of an echo? A guardian? Given that the power of the Moon was limitless, Dallion could even lose less tangible things, like the affection of his friends, or even his relationship with Euryale. Potentially, he could even lose his name and all mention of him.
“The price is your favored status.”
“My favored status?” Dallion definitely wasn’t expecting that. He knew that it was a big deal—a lot of people had told him so, but so far no one was clear exactly what it offered. From what Dallion had seen, it had removed his skill level cap, but was that all?
“People have risked their lives hundreds of times for the chance to achieve it. Some were even driven to fanaticism. You got it partially due to luck. As I said, there aren’t many who’d talk to me, so I tend to be more generous than the rest.”
“Do I get to know the significance of that before I make the choice?”
“If you didn’t, I wouldn’t be bothering with this talk.” The Moon leaned back. Even so, Dallion saw a smile on his face. By all accounts, the question was a good thing to ask. “Being a favored allows you to increase your skills regardless of traits.”
Dallion waited, then waited some more.
“That’s it?”
“You still don’t get it, do you?” The Moon shook his head. “The ability to increase a skill to a hundred regardless of your traits is not too impressive for you? A semi awakened could have the ability to handle a sword better than a domain ruling noble.”
“But he’ll still need the traits to—”
“Take yourself, for an example. If you just walk out this door without a new familiar, you can achieve the pinnacle of attack skills in three days and all by improving useless items. Three days to become one of the greatest sword fighters in the city. A month and all your skills could be at that level, forging included.”
The Moon wasn’t using music to attempt to influence Dallion’s decision; he didn’t have to. The possibility of achieving so much in so little time was mindboggling. That would allow him to progress much faster than he believed possible. It might not always help him level up, as he had seen, but it wasn’t going to hinder him in any circumstances. Five skills at level a hundred…but he would have to give up on the shardfly.
“Even since you learned about the races in this world, you’ve been wondering what makes humans special,” the Moon suddenly changed the subject. “Furies can control wind and clouds, dryads have a way with plants, nymphs are masters of water…” he started enumerating. “Slimes can take any form they choose, gorgons can see everywhere and turn creatures to stone, and dwarves can shape stone and metal with bare hands. What about humans, though? Your race, too, was given a boon, and it’s not your ability to think and make complex devices. Humans are allowed to ignore some of the restrictions of leveling. You can choose any trait and skill freely without penalty. Also, your level cap is set to the next gate you are to pass, not the current one.”
Now things became a lot clearer. That explained why humanity had become the dominant species in this world, at least for the moment. The average person was weak, with no special talents. However, when it came to awakened, they could progress a lot faster than any of the other races. Not only were they more versatile, but they had the skills of someone twice their level. All it took was for a critical mass of awakened to appear, and the only thing that could stop humans were others like them.
Eury lied to me, Dallion thought.
“Lie is a harsh word,” the Moon said, indicating that he could still hear Dallion’s thoughts. “Going back to the business at hand, this is what you have to give up. If up till now you haven’t been improving items out of a childish lack of knowledge, now you are fully aware of what you must give up.”
“Do it,” Dallion said without hesitation.
Now it was the Moon’s turn to be surprised. Dallion tried not to smile openly. There was a certain degree of satisfaction knowing that this could be the first time it had happened in centuries, if not more.
“Aren’t you going to think about it?”
“I could, but it’ll only confuse me more.” Maybe he should have taken advantage of his status more, but that was immaterial. The important thing was that he was given a second chance to help a guardian. “If you’re giving me the option, I’ll take it.”
“You’re sure? You’ll lose all skill levels beyond the cap.”
This was a new twist. The effort wasn’t that much, but knowing that he’d lose them didn’t feel nice. With this Dallion’s attack, guard, acrobatic, and athletic skills would be brought down to forty.
“It doesn’t matter.”
There was a moment of silence, after which the Moon laughed.
“You’re really different. Offworlders will never cease to amaze me. You remind me of someone centuries ago. He also was unusual.” The deity stood up. A green glow covered him, flickering up into the sky. Within moments, he had completely disappeared, shifting to the large green moon above.
The moment he disappeared, four rectangles appeared in front of Dallion—the choice he had to make for leveling up. Considering that half the traits had hit the cap, Dallion decided to go start focusing on his reactions, adding a point there.
COMPANION - SPECTRAL SHARDFLY
You have gained a level 1 companion.
Wrapped in the beauty of illusion, the spectral shardfly has the ability to glamour objects and people to make them look as the shardfly wishes. Its crystal wings are sharper and harder than common shardflies, allowing it to cut through thick hide and armor.
The duration of the glamor effect depends on the overall size of the object and the shardfly’s level.
Upon seeing this, the discomfort caused by losing all his skill levels beyond forty instantly vanished. A ball of shimmering light formed in front of his face. Once he took it, the sphere took form, transforming into a crystal cocoon.
“Can I see?” the young echo asked.
Dallion lowered his hand. As he did, the cocoon cracked. The thin, transparent wrapper crumbled to fragments almost instantly as a crystal butterfly emerged. Four pairs of crystal wings straightened up, hardening before Dallion’s very eyes.
“Mirror?” Dallion asked.
“You kept your promise,” the familiar replied, her voice young, almost squeaky.
“Yeah…” I almost didn’t, Dallion thought. “You look different.”
“This is what we look like when we’re young. I guess I have a lot of growing up to go again. I’ll need your help to achieve that.”
“I’ll be more than happy to help. As soon as I figure out how that works.”
“That seems to be your thing—always charging in without a plan. But even so, you get things done, and you care. Thank you, Dallion. I’ll do my best to help you grow as well.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
Beside Dallion, the young echo was looking at the guardian in unparalleled fascination. Apparently, Dallion’s seer ability wasn’t shared among echoes, otherwise he would have known the shardfly’s true nature, not only the creature Dallion had faced in the mirror.
“Have you picked a name?” Dallion asked. “Either of you?”
Both echo and familiar remained silent.
“Then I’ll pick some for you. Gleam,” he said to the shardfly. “And July.” Dallion moved his hand next to that of the echo’s, allowing the familiar to walk onto it. “Now, let’s go and find you a place to stay within this realm.”
THE CHALLENGER FROM SANITATION
Morning came early, and when it did, it found that Dallion was already awake. The young man was feeling better on a lot of levels. Most of the pain in his head and eyes was gone, along with the aftereffects of the world expedition. And there was more—after completing the trial that had prevented him from progressing for so long, Dallion felt a sense of freedom he hadn’t experienced for a while.
You didn’t tell me it was so lively here, Gleam said.
That was one other thing that he needed to get used to. The shardfly was the first minion that actually talked to Dallion and chose to do so far more than the echoes or guardians. Getting freed from the mirror—and the Mirror Pool’s constant games—the creature was eager to make up for the millennia of lost time. It was little wonder that she had spent a tremendous amount of time talking to the armadil shield. The dryad guardian had gone through pretty much the same while under the service of the general, so the two had a lot in common, not to mention that they were old enough to reminisce about the “old days.”
The real surprise was July. The echo’s character was as different from Gen as Gen’s was from Dallion. If Gen was the sort of person to see to it that the realm was adequately maintained—and the new rooms were adapted in the best possible way—July was the sort to wander about without any clear purpose. Every now and then he would assist, though most of the time he would spend in the nymph’s part of the realm, admiring the sea. More and more often, the shardfly would be with him. There seemed to be some connection between the two, possibly because they had joined Dallion’s realm at virtually the same moment.
It’s starting to get that way, Dallion replied. Nox and Lux treating you, okay?
Seriously? Dallion could almost hear the frown on the familiar’s face as she asked. Nox spends most of his time sleeping in the library and Lux… The only thing that chick is guilty of is spreading too much cheer.
There was no denying that. Dallion still had difficulty getting used to the idea that Nox was spending most of his time sleeping. When Dallion had come to Nerosol, the cub was a bundle of energy, always eager to stretch its paws and claw anything in sight. In a way, he was what Lux was now. Had a few levels made him mature so much? Or maybe he had grown up as any other cat would.
What are your plans for the day?
First, I’ll finish my exercises, then play a song to the stone orchid, then have breakfast, and finally go to fight a few preliminary rounds at the arena.
Sounds like a busy day.
It’s the festival.
All right, I’ll keep fluttering about. You’ll let me know if you need my help with anything.
Age clearly carried its weight. If Nox and Lux acted like little brothers, especially Lux, Gleam was more like the older annoyed sister that liked to be informed of what was going on.
As with everything else, getting new inhabitants in his realm was something that he was going to have to get used to. Also, he was going to have to start searching for an artifact to make it Gleam’s home.
The morning exercises done, Dallion proceeded to level up his training stiletto. The guardian had become considerably more difficult, though after the expedition, defeating him felt like a cinch. It also helped Dallion reach the cap of his final non-forging skill. From here on, the only thing he could improve was forging, although that was going to take a while.
Washing as much as he could with the water he was provided, Dallion then got dressed and went to have breakfast. Despite the early hour, there was a significant number of people already there. The guests that had come for the festival were largely ordinary people with slightly deeper pockets. The few awakened that Dallion knew to have rented rooms were either sleeping or off to get an early start.
With a friendly greeting, Dallion passed by the kitchen to grab whatever food Pan had prepared—in this case, a few sandwiches—and then was off to the arena.
The echo of the committee member who had given him the ring mentioned that it would be hours before Dallion’s match was ready, but Dallion ignored that. For the moment, he just wanted to get to the room of the preliminary fight before the city was filled with crowds again. It didn’t help that all shopkeepers and stall merchants were getting more and more creative with their advertising methods. Banners, discounts, bards, even awakened—for those who could afford it—were everywhere in an attempt to attract more customers.
“You shouldn’t be out this early,” a voice said a few steps from Dallion.
This time, Dallion managed to catch a glimpse of the man as he appeared. It was a member of the city guard, of course. The uniform and insignia identified him as a sergeant, though Dallion had the feeling he was a lot more powerful than that. There was a certain confidence emanating from him.
“Oh, it’s you,” the guard said. “You shouldn’t be out this early, either.”
“I’m on my way to the arena,” Dallion replied. “I prefer to go before the crowds.”
“It’s your life,” the sergeant said. “I’d stick to crowds for the moment, though. There’s less chance of a mess.”
The warning was clear—there were chainlings roaming the city, and that was why the city guard was dispatched. Officially, the reason was that they were out to ensure there were no fights or theft. That wasn’t the real reason, though. Unlike back on Earth, here all major festivals were completely crime free. The understanding between the underworld and the city nobles was crystal clear: keep the city under control for as long as the event lasts, keep all random petty thieves and pickpockets in check, because if the local nobility loses face, there will be reprisals.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dallion replied.
The guard smirked, both amused and annoyed by his response.
“The tournament doesn’t make you ready for squat, kid. It takes a hunt to know what you’re really against.”
“I’ve been on a hunt,” Dallion replied.
“No, you haven’t. And hope that you don’t.” He looked around. “Keep an eye open, and if you spot something, run.”
Dallion didn’t see any need to antagonize the person further, so he nodded, then continued on his way. Hopefully, the situation wasn’t as bad as the man suggested. Otherwise, the overseer, even the entire city, had a huge issue on its hands.
Thankfully, there were no incidents on the way to the arena. The inside of the place seemed in much better condition than a day ago. That didn’t stop people from working round the clock to get every minor detail right. At present florists were everywhere, arranging flowers that Dallion hadn’t even seen in vases that cost more than he had earned since his arrival here. According to Nil, the plants were brought from the nearby wilderness specifically for the occasion. They would last a few days at most, but during those few days they would impress everyone—other nobles mostly—who walked through.
With a mental shrug, Dallion went to the only committee member present. It wasn’t someone Dallion had seen before, but there was no mistaking the expression of a bureaucrat at six in the morning.
“Hey,” Dallion said with a smile and a bit of music charm in his voice. “I’m Dallion Darude, here for my preliminary fight.”
“Ah.” The woman’s expression quickly changed. “We’ve been expecting you, although you’re a bit early.”
“I thought I’d come before the crowd.”
“Good thinking. It’s a mess getting from place to place with all the people walking aimlessly about. It’ll all be sorted out once the festival begins. Things are much more organized then.”
That sounded both impressive and horrifying.
“Want something to eat while you wait?” the committee member asked.
“No, I’m fine. I just want to get through my fights and make it to the official rounds.”
“I don’t doubt that. Actually, if you’re fine with changing the battle order, there is another challenger who’s here. He’s also aiming for a spot, so you two can face off.”
“Oh?”
There was someone else this early? That showed dedication or boredom. Either way, it sounded like a strong opponent. Normally, the better strategy was to get into rhythm slowly with weaker opponents before jumping into the deep. Given the circumstances, though, Dallion didn’t see a reason not to have a tough battle early on.
“Gola Harken,” the woman said, probably after consulting an echo on the matter. “He’s a local and tournament hopeful. In fact, some consider him to be almost as good as you.”
